1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a portable terminal device comprising a key assignment function for assigning a provided function to arbitrary keys.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, portable terminal devices such as a cellular phone, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) and the like have rapidly become widespread.
For a portable terminal device, the number of keys that can be mounted is restricted due to constraints such as its size and the like. Accordingly, for example, a plurality of functions are assigned to a combination of one or more keys (this assignment is hereinafter referred to as “key assignment”).
The key assignment differs by maker or by type. Therefore, if a user changes a portable terminal device, to the operations of which he or she is accustomed for a long period of use, to a portable terminal device of a different maker or of a different type, the user must again learn the key assignment of the new portable terminal device and get accustomed to its key operations.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Application No. H08-249153 discloses an input operation converting device that can be operated also by a user, who is unaccustomed to the operations of a machine, based on natural inference, and can improve the operability of the machine. Additionally, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application No. 2001-265472 discloses an interface implementation method for implementing an interface, which is adjusted suitably for each user, regardless of the type of a used computer system or the like.